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Tag Archives: Middle East
Turkey Tips
31 AugWhen I first arrived in this country, it was only supposed to be for five days. It was supposed to be my stepping stone into Greece, and those of your following along know that didn’t quite work out. I ended up visiting the cities of Bodrum, Fetiye, Olympos, Goreme and then back to Istanbul. The people of Turkey were very hospitable and always went the extra mile. They were happy to see tourists which is a rarity in many nations. Here are a couple of tips to make your stay a little more enjoyable.
Transportation
Busses- Turkey has very nice busses all including TV’s, tea and coffee, snacks and some even have wifi. You can get to many destinations throughout Turkey on overnighters.
Drinking
Efes- Is the local beer found in a blue can, it goes down pretty easy especially on a scorching day.
Raki- If you are looking for something a little harder, look no further than rocky. It is along the same lines as Sambuca. Try mixing it with water to get a white color; they call it lion’s milk.
Women
Sorry boys unless you speak Turkish your chances are slim, better stick to the tourists.
Eating
I was pretty surprised on how much I loved the food in Turkey, here are a few of the favourites.
Lamachun- A thin crust with a bunch of spices and meat on it. You throw lettuce, onion, tomatoes and then drizzle it in lemon juice. Roll that bad boy up and you have yourself a meal.
Gozleme – A large Crepe type thing cooked on a dome stove top. You can put feta, potatoes, spinach, cheese, mushrooms or meat in it.
Sleeping
Hostels are very cheap here and you can generally find ones that include breakfast. All hostels in Olympos will include dinner and breakfast in the price.
Foggy
End of an Era
29 AugThe boys Sammy and Rob have been travelling together now for two weeks. We have met some amazing people along our way that will not soon be forgotten. We picked up Claire in Fetiye, a fellow *JAFA. The three of us formed a trio that just fired on all cylinders. I really give it to Claire for staying with us stride for stride and putting us in our place when needed. She was a classy woman with two classless boys.
Sammy my man will be missed as we formed a bond not easily attained on the road. He is definitely somebody that I will catch up with later on in life on one continent or another. We became a family, but like all good things they must come to an end. I am again out on my own without the crutch of close buddies but strangely it feels refreshing. You can never get too comfortable and the unknown once again awaits me, hope it brings more of the same!
Foggy
*Just another fucking Aussie- Travelling term for seeing an Australian (they are everywhere!)
Horizontal Lifestyle
26 AugFor those of you who think this post is about something else, get your mind out of the gutter. We found this cool little hippie town called Olympos on the South coast of Turkey. Came across a little backpackers that cost us 10 euros for a private room, breakfast and dinner included. It was deemed the perfect spot for the next 2 days to recover from the cruise. The hardest thing we did was walk somewhere to lunch and then carried on to the beach. We lived in the horizontal position 85% of the time, quite the rough life style. It was a nice curveball from the rate I have been going at, but could not stay longer than that so we ponied out of there on the next bus to something involving a little more effort.
Foggy
Man Time
23 AugBeen on the road now for two months and there are certain things you miss from home. There is nothing like gathering around a TV screen with the boys, opening some cold ones and placing some bets. We were sitting around our hostel one night and it came up that Barcelona was playing Real Madrid at midnight. So the boys Matt, Hev, Dion, Sammy and I all got our stock of beer and sat down and placed our bets on the game. These guys were all super genuine and we had a great man date together. Looking around you could see that we all got a little piece of home out of the night. The winning score went to Hev and he took our winnings to the local pub for a round of shots for the boys. There is nothing in the world like some great man time.
Foggy
Plans Change
21 AugI was trying to figure out how I was going to get myself from Istanbul to Athens one afternoon and Mr. Alex Morrison gave me the idea to head to Bodrum in the south and hop over on a ferry. I packed up and was on the next over night bus. Once in Bodrum I found the closest hostel and sat down for a nap.
Once up I went down to the harbor to check ferry schedules and the only ferries going were at 9:30 the next morning. Figured spending one day in the sun here was not the worst thing to do so I found the closest beach and posted up for the afternoon. It wasn’t too long until I was talking to two girls from Sweden who were there for a week. The day ran into the night and we went out on the town. A few beers later Laura talked me into staying around for another day, I also had too many beers for an early morning ferry departure.
The next day I was sitting around the hostel when my top bunk partner next to me arouse from a slumber. The handsome lad introduced himself as Sam from Melbourne. We started chatting and we were like peas and carrots from the get go. He talked me into staying in Turkey and going for a 4 day booze cruise. Two days later I stepped foot on a boat leaving Fetiye and the rest was history. Greece will have to wait for another day for this traveler to touch down.
Foggy
Almost Scammed in Istanbul
16 AugSo I was walking around downtown Istanbul trying to find a pub to cozy up in when a guy started chatting with me. He told me he was traveling from Cyprus and was looking for a bar too. We walked for a bit and then he said his hotel recommended this spot close by so we rolled there. A couple of dodgy turns and alleys later we walked into this very dimly lit joint. I was thrown off right away when there was a group of 12 or so girls dancing and looking at themselves in a big mirror. The guy ordered 2 drinks but the old gut was saying something was off here, I quickly asked how much beers were and of course they were 4 times the price. I remembered hearing that this was a type of scam so I grabbed my jacket and told the guy to screw off and was out the door into the next pub to sip on a very reasonable priced Efes.
Tel-Aviv Airport Gongshow
12 AugWell getting out of Tel-Aviv has to be one of the worst airport experiences I have ever had. It started out with the first line up of many more to come, at the end of this line was a guy waiting to ask me many questions. He took my passport and then interrogation began. What is your last name? Where were you born? Why were you in Israel? Are you traveling alone? Why? Do you have any friends or family in Israel? Why would you visit here without knowing anybody? Did you visit the West Bank? After he was through, I was passed along to his supervisor where she asked all the same questions and then many others. 20 minutes later I was allowed to put my large bag through the X-ray machine.
Once my bag was put through the machine, they determined in needed to be searched, so I waited in another line to get my bag checked. They made me unzip my bag and they went through the whole thing checking for who knows what. After they were satisfied with the search I was escorted to check into my flight.
Once the ticket was issued and bag checked, I was escorted again to security. I was told to go stand in line number two. I followed orders and it was not long until I realized this line was not moving. The only time I moved up is when people were put into other lines. After a good 30 min of no real action in my line I was summoned by an officer to another line (MOVEMENT!) I put my carry on through the X-ray machine and surprise, surprise they wanted to go through it. They took some cords out and ran it again, then some more cords out and through again, third times a charm right? After three times through the machine they deemed me not a threat so they let me continue on with my gauntlet.
The next step was Passport control, I got stamped out of the country and I was finally free to wait the little time to my flight. Thank God I decided to go to the airport early or my flight would have been long gone without me. The only saving grace to the experience was meeting two cute Israeli Dentists in the airport, then once on the plane they came and found me and made me switch seats with the person next to them. A few drinks later we were in Istanbul and I set out again on my own.
Foggy
Enjoying the Rain in Istanbul
11 AugIt has been a while since I have seen some rain, so I figured to catch it on film in case I go through another long drought.
Foggy
Dead Sea
9 AugNo trip to Israel/Jordan is complete without a trip to the Dead Sea. I brushed off my very hungover self and caught the bus from Jerusalem. It took about an hour but finally got to Ein Gedi a cool little town on the coast. I stripped down and jumped in and like everyone else was amazed on how you just float on the top. It is very salty so make sure to keep it out of your eyes and mouth, also if you had too many beers the night before or ate a shwarma that didn’t agree with your stomach there might be something else burning also…
Foggy
Foggy Travels Himself
Foggy Travels 